1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the displaying numerical data. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for displaying data where the data contains information about the contribution of various parts to a whole.
2. The Prior Art
The presentation of numerical data on a graph has long been known as a reliable way of displaying the data in a clear and straightforward manner that a user can comprehend quickly. In, recent years, computers have been used to speed up the process, as they can quickly compute and display numerous calculations in less than a second.
The rise in the power of computers has also lead to an increase in the use of modeling programs, which allow designers to model the performance of electronic devices before they are manufactured, allowing for a streamlined design process. This type of modeling allows a designer to detect problems with electronic components early in the design stage, before money and time is spent on manufacture of these devices.
One of the problems that is encountered often in the design of electronic devices is excess electromagnetic interference (EMI) radiating from the device. One device that this creates particular problems in is a printed circuit board (PCB). PCBs are usually incorporated into other electronic devices. Excess EMI generated by a PCB can result in improper operation of the components within the electronic device, including the PCB itself. In addition, EMI can affect electronic equipment outside the electronic device, and has even been linked to other problems as well, including the possibility of adverse health effects on humans. Therefore, reducing the amount of EMI generated by a PCB or any other electronic device is extremely important.
Measurement and analysis of EMI is necessary in order to construct PCBs that generate the least amount of EMI and meet the FCC requirements for emissions testing. EMI can be examined by looking at the different processes that occur to cause it. A particular process by which source energy is converted to EMI is known as an EMI mechanism. Although there are many types of EMI mechanisms, certain types of EMI mechanisms take on special importance when dealing with specific electronic components. Diagnosis of not only the strength of overall EMI but the strength of EMI resulting from each individual mechanism is extremely valuable in diagnosis of the PCB (or other electronic device) itself in order to aid in the reduction of overall EMI. Data in the form of "contributions to a whole" are also typical in other fields as well, and the present invention could apply equally to all types of data in this form.
Sometimes, the aforementioned modeling software that simulates the operation of a PCB is used as a diagnostic tool instead of physically measuring the EMI. This technique has the advantage of being able to be performed before the PCB is actually constructed, allowing the designers to test many different manifestations of the PCB without the expense of building numerous different prototypes and physically testing each prototype. In addition, while physical measurement of EMI resulting from individual EMI mechanisms is possible, it has proven to be difficult even in controlled testing environments. Therefore, software modeling is the preferred method of testing the electronic components when discerning among EMI mechanisms.
In the past, EMI has been measured or modeled and then plotted on a graph of field strength versus frequency. This method proved reliable for analyzing overall EMI strength levels generated by an electronic device. However, the prior art method requires that either the user view only an overall EMI level (not broken up into contributions resulting from various EMI mechanisms) or view the amounts of the different EMI levels resulting from the different EMI mechanisms on numerous different graphs (as opposed to on a single graph).
What is needed is a method and a software program that can simultaneously display numerical data that has been split up into contributions to a whole. This would allow the user to measure or model the EMI and plot the relative strength of the different EMI mechanisms on a single graph in a way such that a user can quickly and easily view.